Asian Fire Meat

Marinating the meat longer than 2 hours just turned it to a slimy, mushy mess. I marinated mine for 2 hours, than drained off the marinade, reserving it for later, patted the meat dry, and browned in batches in a 12-inch skillet so the meat would actually brown. Only after all the meat was browned and added back to the pan, did I add the marinade do the pan. Don't use round steak, it gets tough and rubbery very easy and has a livery taste, use sirloin or flank steak for better tenderness and flavor.

A couple of options regarding the marinade: If done in a wok, cook the meat and veg first. Put on a plate, then add the marinade to the wok and reduce. Pour on top of the meat/veg. If done in a skillet, make sure it is 12" which covers a very large cooking area. Flared skillet is even better. Make sure liquid evaporates as quickly as possible. You want browned meat. In either method, make sure your pan is screaming hot. You can always add soy sauce, but you can't take it away. So marinade your meat using 1/2 soy sauce and 1/2 stock or water. Don't marinade the sesame seeds. As you're heating up your pan, put the sesame seeds in and swirl a couple of times in the dry pan. Reserve and add on top of the cooked mixture. That way, the sesame seeds get toasted, then relax to let the oils re-distribute. Who wants a wet sesame seed? I don't know if it's Chinese, but I added scallions (green onions) at the end. Fabulous. IN the end I separated the meat from the sauce, and cooked soba noodles in the sauce with some water added. This is a great starter recipe. Expand your horizons with it. I made spring rolls with some, and red lettuce leaves with others. Either way it was delicious.

We made this last night and loved it. Used london broil and sliced it partially frozen on the meat slicer so as to get those paper thin slices. Didn't have leeks but don't know as they would've added anything. As suggested, we rolled each one up in a red lettuce leaf, along with about a tablespoon or so of rice that had been cooked with chicken broth and asian seasonings. Using the lettuce made it very refreshing. Although the beef was tender having been sliced so thin, it may benefit from adding a tablespoon of water and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the marinade. This will give you beef that'll melt in your mouth! As for the heat, I thought it'd be too much, but after cooking it really mellowed and even my low-heat tolerant husband agreed that it could be bumped up a bit. All in all, great. Easy, quick cooking, very tasty.

This was a good base recipe, but it needed some changes to the cooking/marinating process. I know from experience that if left too long sitting in soy sauce, the meat becomes de-natured and slimy. I also didn't like the idea of all the vegetables sitting in soy sauce for hours. I marininated the meat in 1 Tblsp soy sauce, a bit of minced garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch and 1/2 tsp baking soda for about an hour. I stir fried the garlic, some ginger and the red pepper flakes in very hot peanut oil for about 30 seconds, then added the onions, leeks and carrots (which I grated) and stir fried them for 3 minutes or so. I removed the vegetables from the pan, added a bit more oil, and stir fried the meat until it started to become crispy. Then I poured the sauce to which I added some sherry, more sesame oil and 1 Tblsp cornstarch over the meat and simmered briefly until it thickened. Then I returned the vegetables to the pan and stirred them into the sauce. This came out great. I served it with leftover sesame noodles and my family liked it a lot. Thanks for the post.

Gary this is DELICIOUS! My husband and I like a little more heat and more complex sweet so I made the following changes: 1. substituted brown sugar for maple syrup 2. upped the red pepper flakes to 1 tbsp AND added 1 tbsp of Asian chili paste (we like food that makes us sweat) 3. Added 1 can of water chestnuts This is a keeper--thanks for sharing!

This is a great, easy recipe. Perfect when you have a busy day coming up. You can add all kinds of things. I've added ginger, shallots, cabbage, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, celery and toasted sesame seeds. A tip about sesame seeds. You can buy them at a middle eastern market in your city and get about 6 oz. for $1.29 compared to $3.29 for 2 oz. at the supermarket. If I have a lot of veggies in it, I double the marinade and thicken with a cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking. My husband LOVES this dinner and I love making it!

this recipe screams, 'KEEPER'~! I had a cheap old round steak I got reduce priced. This is an excellent way to prepare what can sometimes be a tough old cut of meat. I did not have leeks, so subbed sliced mushrooms. I let this marinate for 24 hours before preparing. By the time I put my rice on the stove and heated my wok at the same time and by the time the rice was done, so was this....I did add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken a bit and served over jasmine rice. When putting together the marinade, I used low sodium soy but was about 3 tbsp shy of the specified amt. so used regular soy. Once I got the marinade together, it tasted a bit salty. I added about a tsp more of brown sugar to help balance out. I would recommend using low sodium soy since half cup is what this recipy specifies....but absolutely delish!~ I like spicy so added more tunisian chili powder. *love the sesame seeds for a little crunch and presentation. I also added a handful of beautiful huge cashews to carry on the crunch...mmmmm wonderful addition. This is right up there with Asian Orange Chicken from this site.

I am not sure why this is called fire meat. I put in about a tablespoon of pepper and it was hot. I can't image there is much kick with only a teaspoon. I put the sauce in with the meat originally, but all it really did was boil so I poured it off. The meat has a strong sesame flavor, but that was really all I could taste. I probably won't make again.

This is a great - and flexible recipe; it's a regular on my menu. I up the red pepper by a 1/2 tsp, leave out the leeks, double the carrots, and add a handful of fresh, ice-cold sugar snap peas during the last 3 minutes - or else I serve them on the side, as a balance for the heat. They really enhance the experience. I also use a lean roast for the meat, as this seems to come out more tender and flavorful. I also splash in some sesame oil when I cook the rice - adds a complex, smoky essence to the overall dish. To cut down on empty carbs, I sometimes serve this with slightly undercooked cabbage; the sweetness of the unsalted cabbage counters the soy and spice. Just wrap a small amount in a cabbage leaf and feast! An excellent meal, and easily expandable for more guests.

I'm a lover of Asian food, and unfortunately althought quick and easy to prepare, found this an unimaginative recipe.

I've used the recipe as a marinade for steaks without the leeks, carrot and onion. It's a good and easy recipe that adds a lot of flavor to a steak. It wasn't too hot, which was nice and it teams well with traditional side dishes.

Very good recipe, as written. I did Jullienne the carrots instead of chopping them, for prettier presentation.. Next time I will probably add more pepper flakes and maybe some fresh ginger. Thanks for the recipe.

This recipe is great! We rolled the meat up with some cooked white rice in lettuce leaves like little "burritos". Also turned up the heat a bit with 1/2 of a minced habanero chile, but my family like things really hot. Yum!

As others have noted, you need to add alot more red pepper flakes to make it really firey. I marinated the meat for about an hour, and was surprised at how much it had absorbed the flavors. Not bad at all. Thanks!

excellent recipe, we used venison for meat, it didnt last long, darn kids. lol. very tasty, hint of sweet, hint of fire, very good!!!!! dont pass this up.

WOW!wow!WOW! Soooooooooooooooo good! Followed recipe, except added an assorted mix of chopped fresh "asian" veggies that I found in my store's produce section. About 1 pound worth of mixed bok choy, red onion, carrots and something else that I couldn't quite tell what it was.(instead of the stated 2 leeks,and 1 small carrot) LOL This dish is HOT, just like the title!!! Im glad I had the extra veggies to disperse the heat. Served with white rice and store bought egg rolls.

Awesome. I mixed mine with lo mein noodles. If you use the round steak, you MUST slice paper thin, otherwise too tough. Sirloin or flank may be better, but I loved this. Will make again.

This was excellent! Super fast & easy to make! I'm a spice wimp & didn't find this overly spicy so if you like "fire" you're def going to want to add more heat.

This was very good and an easy recipe. I used the veggies that I had on hand and mostly just used the meat marinade from this recipe. I marinated the meat for a couple of hours, which was perfect. I then cooked the meat, took it out of the skillet and then added the marinade which cooked for about five minutes before I added the veggies. Once the veggies were close to being finished, I added the cooked meat back in, heated it all up together, and threw it over rice. Quite tasty and made great leftovers the next day.

this was really good! I doubled the pepper flakes and the brown sugar, we served over rice.

Too salty for us. I used low sodium soy sauce but that did not help. Thanks for letting us try.

We thought this was kind of bland and not spicy at all.

Wow, this was GREAT! I left out the leeks, adjusted the red pepper flakes a little so my kids would eat it, and drained the meat mixture before "stir-frying". I then added the drained marinade with a little cornstarch at the end and brought sauce to a boil with meat and veggies. YUM!

The recipe was good, but not amazing.

This was VERY salty, and I hate to say it, but unappetizing. I will not make it again.

I served this with rice, but I it would be perfect for lettuce wraps. In fact, I liked this better than the recipe for Asian Lettuce Wraps and would love to try it with chicken.

The only way to get any closer to traditional chinese street fair is to live in china. Instead of red pepper flakes though I used a ghost chili hot sauce. Only a drop of the ghost chili hot sauce, and well I've got a stomach that glows more then all the erupting lava from seven volcanoes.

I enjoyed this meal, and very easy to prepare. I used the round steak, slicing it uber-thin (best to partially freeze before cutting, but you know that!). I didn't have leeks on hand, so just added more carrots and water chestnuts for the crunch. I also used sweet onions (again, pantry lacking red ones). Reminded me of a round steak recipe mom used to make! Keeper!

The meat in this is wonderful. I marinated mine overnight and it was melt in your mouth tender. I used honey in place of the brown sugar. Thanks for the delicious recipe:)

i loved it but its was too much for the wife

very easy to make & Very tasty!!!! I add extra red pepper flakes to make it hotter!

We loved it. Served over white rice it is a filling easy meal. As others have stated hold the marinade back and just cook the meat first. Add the "juice" after the meat is brown.

I want to thank everyone for your comments concerning this recipe. As with any recipe, the hotness and saltiness can always be adjusted to one's own taste. Asian Fire Meat is still one of my all time favorite recipes.

Great Make ahead meal! Also more than half veggies when you follow this recipe which is nice for someone trying to cut down on meat consumption. I usually make a batch a night or two before and let it marinade in the fridge, then prepare half for dinner and freeze the other half for a busy night I forgot to plan for

This was quick and easy to prepare but wasn't hot at all. Apart from that it was quite salty. Perhaps subbing some of the soy sauce with stock, using reduced sodium soy sauce or perhaps both would be helpful...

such a delicious meal.!isubstitue meat with chicken and added moree vegies like green and red bell pepper.unfortunately my soy sauce was not enough.to complete it i used water and cooked in a big wok.mmh i liked tht.easy and yummy.thx

Not as hot as it sounds! My family loved it.Easy make ahead meal.

Great recipe Gary! I had over a pound of london broil so I used two teaspoons of the pepper flakes. I loved the idea of wrapping the meat and rice in a lettuce leaf and the kids thought it was a fun way to eat it. I don't eat red meat, but the sauce was delicious over the rice. Thanks so much!

I believe this needs less soy and more brown suger. But me and my wife liked this dish.

I liked it. Honestly, I thought it would be spicy, but other than that, I liked it.

FANTASTIC! I actually had more meat than called for, so I increased the ingredients by 1-1/2x. I used green onions (maybe 4-6, they were small) in place of the leeks b/c that's what I had and I shredded my carrots (I used 2 small). After cooking the meat, I thickened the sauce just a bit w/ a cornstarch slurry, so it would 'cling' to the meat better. The flavors of this are wonderful, but the heat level was a little much for us, so next time I'll decrease that a bit. I let my meat marinate maybe 3-4 hours and that was great! This is one of the easiest Chinese meals that I've made, lol. Served over jasmine rice w/ a side of 'Garlic Broccoli' also from this site. A definite keeper, for sure, and one that will be made often...WE LOVED IT! Thanks for sharing. :)

Quick, easy, and delicious. I put the meat in the marinade in the morning and stir fry this when I get home from work. Always gets great!

Excellent! I substituted finely chopped ginger for the pepper flakes. This recipe is also great using chicken and teriyaki sauce!

Excellent! Didn't add the leeks, didn't miss them. Boy this was a yummy dish. Will make it again!

This was awesome. I made this one night because I had some meat and no idea what to do with it. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand (big plus)! I made it per instructions except before adding the chili, I divided the mixture in half and added all the chili to only one portion. My toddler ate the part without chili with no problems! The rest was very good for me (maybe even add a little more chili next time). Fabulous the next day for lunch too (another big plus)! Will be making this again soon.

Great and easy recipe. We did not have time to marinate it for several hours but it still turned out great.

We love spicy food & was excited to try this..we loved it. I added some chili oil & sriracha to the marinade. Served w/rice & broccoli. Thanks for sharing.

Delicious. I really liked having the leeks in there. I had 1.21 pounds of meat, so I upped the marinade (using light soy sauce) a little bit, and used a large carrot. We ate this over basmati rice and it was great.

Not bad, but not great. It was a bit on the salty side. The word "fire" should definitely not be in the title, as it was barely spicy. The recipe for "Awesome Korean Steak" on this site is much better.

I used half the red pepper flakes so our picky son would eat it. Super easy to make, served it with plain brown rice. Will definitely make it again!

Great recipe. No complaints at all. Meat was tender and veggies delicious.

Very very good! I did make some changes due to the other comments. I cut down on the soy sauce b/c someone said it was to salty. I am dissapointed I did that b/c I felt it needed more salt and ended up adding some to my plate. Also I added like 2 teaspoons more of brown sugar and wished I would have added even more. Lastly I added like another teaspoon of red pepper flakes which gave it the perfect hottness. I served it with jasmine rice. This was a wonderful dish and hubby liked it a lot to, which I LOOOOVE the praise when a great meal is put on the table...which this was!!

This would have been a good recipe, unfortunately the potential for great flavor was completely overpowered by the soy sauce. Perhaps half of the soy sauce called for would be appropriate.

This recipe is great! We have this at least once a month. It's super easy to throw together and I always let it marinate overnight. Usually serve over rice. To get the meat nice and thin I throw it in the freezer for about 20 minutes and that makes it so much easier to slice into those paper thin slices this recipe calls for. For those who find the salty flavor of the soy sauce overpowering, you might want to consider using one of the darker, Chinese variety of soy sauce. The flavor is deeper but it's less salty than its lighter, Japanese style counterpart.

Kind of bland

Wow! I whipped this together for a party to serve 16! It was easy, quick and the rave of the party! FANTASTIC!

very good,made this with steak, pork and chicken .all good will make again.

This is FABULOUS! Wow, the flavor is incredible! I used everything except for the sesame seeds (forgot them) and I increased the crushed red pepper to a tablespoon because we like it HOT! I served wrapped with rice in lettuce leaves as suggested…A+++

This was really good and I didn't have leeks, sesame oil or seeds. I only had time to marinate it for 1 hour and everyone still loved it. can't wait to try it again with everything called for.

Too salty & a bit rubbery (I'll take partial credit for the rubbery :D). I sauteed the steak separately as suggested, but it wasn't wow-ing. 'Thickened it with 2T cornstarch, served over rice.

We loved this recipe! I doubled the sauce and served over rice. Also, because some of the reviews stated that it wasn't very spicy, I added a little extra heat with a dash of Thai chile paste. So good and easy to make. A new regular in our house!!

This is an awesome treat! My kids (who hate spicy food) absolutely loved it!

This dish was delicious. I did it exactly as said other then I only marinated it for an hour cause I was in a hurry but turned out very good. I served it with some white rice. Will be using this often.

I am about to go down and make this for the second time. It is truly one of the most wonderful dishes I have ever made. I seemed to incorporate all of the reviewers suggestions (adding chestnuts, ginger, a bit of baking soda to tenderize, xtra carrots, cashews..plus baby corn and bean sprouts & a bit of sherry). I served over coconut jasmine rice from this site. It is just lovely.

This is SOooooo good!!! All of the ingredients go together beautifully. The flavor of the sesame seeds, the little crunch of the carrots, the kick of the red pepper flakes. Mmmmm! Thank you, this is a keeper!!!

Very easy and tasty. But I found it a little too salty. I think I will reduce the soy sauce next time.

Very good. Has some kick to it.

Great addition to 'asian night' cooking at our home.

Only marinated for 30 min instead of overnight and still turned out deliciousl. Slightly salty.

We doubled the red pepper and left out the leeks. We also didn't marinade the onions and carrots, we just added them right to the meat before cooking in the wok. Also reserved some of the marinade and added when the meat was done cooking, then added some corn starch to the marinade to thicken it up. This was excellent and we will make it again soon.

this was great, loved it and will make again.

Excellent dish!

Oh wow, this was good! My husband LOVED it. I added some fresh ginger and some worcestershire sauce to the marinade and left out the sesame oil until cooking (added to pan). When cooking I added chopped cabbage for extra fiber. I served over steamed rice, so the extra marinade was nice for that. This rivals anything at a good Asian restaurant! Thanks so much for the great recipe! I served it with Hawaiian Bread I fresh from the bread machine - the combination of spicy and sweet was awesome!

This didnt turn out very well for me. But that may be my own fault for all the changes I made. I used vegetable oil instead of sesame oil. I also left out the sesme seeds, carrots and leeks. I have very picky eaters, that wouldnt have touched it with that in it. I didnt think this was spicy with the amount of pepper flakes it calls for but my kids did. This recipe just was not for us, thanks anyways though.

I rarely know what to do with round steak...I can't quite get it tender enough to enjoy. This recipe helped that some - sliced paper thin. I threw a little broccoli in the marinade, too. After two hours i dumped it all in the pan, cooked it up....then pushed meat aside and thickened liquid with cornstarch to make a sauce to pour over rice. Delish.

Good stuff, especially since it uses round steak and leeks. It's a keeper in my book.

We really enjoyed this dish! Since several of the reviews suggested that the recipe was not actually very hot, we added more red pepper flakes than it called for (1 1/2 tablespoons in all) which made it very flavorful. Also, after reading one reviewer whose dish simply "boiled" in the pan, we did it in two batches to make sure it stir-fried properly. I found the combination of leeks and onions had a nice depth to both the flavor and texture. I did wish there were more meat for all those onions... or more substantial vegetables. I'm not used to aromatics being so much of the bulk of a dish. Next time I'll use 1 1/2 lbs of meat instead of just 1 lb.

Simple and delicious! A little salty, even with low-sodium soy sauce.

I doubled the sauce because i had that many veggies- followed the recipe except i used maybe a tsp of sugar and added more red pepper flakes- really enjoyed-ty---I also use "BRAGGS" soy sauce (5%) sodium so i can marinate for days and never gets too salty

Hi! I found this recipe to be quite excellent. I've used it a couple different times with beef, and also with chicken, and I found that the marinade compliments either meat nicely. I usually add more veggies to it though. I've added red & green peppers, bok choi, and celery, which I just sort of cut up and through in the skillet with the meat (so they still have lots of crunch). My boyfriend has requested this dish several times now, and I find the recipe useful because all of the ingredients are house-hold items for us. And you're right about having beer with it. I know you'd probably picture something rather light in colour and crisp, however, we've made a practice of drinking Guinness with it, and it is delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!

I left out the leek and sesame seeds. I used ground beef instead of round steak. I used splenda instead of brown sugar and olive oil instead of sesame oil. I lessened the soy sauce and increased the red pepper due to what other reviewers said.

One of my all time favorties. My husband loves it too! I cut back on the red pepper flakes after the first time. It was SO spicy that I felt like my mouth was on fire. just a bit less of the pepper flakes and it's PERFECT!

great recipe. this is the second time I'm making it.

Very easy to prepare my wife and i loved it i mixed up on a sat night and cooked it up for sunday lunch it was great served over hot noodles and rice for sure 5 stars.

I thought this was great,,my husband thought the soy really dominated the recipe,,and I thought the sesame was strong. We both liked the amount of spice,,,Next time,,I'll cut back a little on the soy, a little on the sesame, and maybe add a little more brown sugar. Was good and will make again. Thanks!

I found the sauce too salty. I will try it again but I'll cut down on the soy sauce and add water instead.

Had a good flavor, nothing fantastic although the kids really enjoyed. I would have liked to taste the brown sugar more.

This was really good. I made some changes, which is why I didnt rate it 5. But a good start to a good Asian dish.

yum! Made it as written, except left the sesame seeds until after it was cooked. Wrapped it in lettuce leaves, with a spoonful of brown rice. What a great dinner!

Good recipe, husband really like it.

Great flavors! I did change it up a little. 1) I used ground beef and did not marinate, browned it and set aside. 2) I sauted 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 T ginger, and 2 T sesame seeds in sesame oil. 3) I then added 1 small can water chestnuts, 1 small can bamboo shoots, the browned beef, and a sauce mixture of the soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, red pepper, and 2 T siracha chili sauce. 4) Served over rice with a side of steamed edamame. Delicious! Next time I may try adding baby corn and green bell pepper with some extra soy sauce.

This sweet and spicy. Over rice it's great. If you want it really hot, add some more pepper to it. Red, black, saracha, it doesn't matter. Just add what you like and you'll love this tonight and the next day for leftovers.

I made the marinade exactly as written. The quality of the ingredients maks all the difference because my fresh red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper gave this some heat!!! However it was way too salty for our liking and next time I'll use reduced sodium soy sauce.

Really easy recipe! I added a little bit of fresh ginger which turned out delicious.

Quite good. I've served it both in lettuce and over rice; both work well. <br> I doubled the red pepper flakes upon other reviewers' suggestions. Next time I'll add a drop more. <br> I let the beef marinate for twenty minutes while chopping the vegetables. By the time I added all the vegetables, the beef had soaked up most of the marinate. After refrigerating this for another twenty minutes, all the liquid was entirely absorbed so I just decided to cook it. I don't see any reason why you'd need to marinate it longer. When I cooked it, a little liquid cooked out and made a little nice sauce. <br> Also, I don't think the flavor of the leeks is anything special -- in the future I won't bother tracking them down and probably use a regular onion instead.

Great flavor! Followed recipe as written and it was soooo good. I marinated for about 3 hrs and cooked it on high for no more than 10 mins. Meat was really tender.I will definitely be making this again.

It was good, but needs to be even spicier! Add a lot more hot pepper to the mix and be sure to let it marinate a long time. Maybe even some chili oil when cooking it?

Outstanding! This recipe is amazing! I used a flank steak and put it in the freezer for a few minutes so it would slice very very thin. I also added a little extra red pepper, about a tablespoon in all. Next I drained the meat with a slotted spoon and fried it up in batches, so it would brown, then added it all back at the end when I cooked the sauce. I will definitely make this again.

This is a good recipe, however: 1. This recipe is EXTREMELY salty (almost to the point where it is inedible). I would suggest using reduced sodium soy sauce or cutting the amount of soy sauce with stock or even water. 2. The ratio of vegetables to meat is quite high--I would cut the amount of leeks and onions by half. 3. Contrary to what several of the commenters have written, this is not a quick recipe. Chopping so many vegetables, thinly slicing a pound of beef, and batch browning the meat is somewhat laborious. It is by no means a difficult recipe, just that I wouldn't pull it out on a busy night.